


I thought you were dead

by isthatbloodonhisshirt (wasterella)



Series: Spreading Positivity 2020 [29]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alpha Derek Hale, Derek Hale Deserves Nice Things, Don't copy to another site, Established Relationship, Good Peter Hale, M/M, Memories, Nice Peter Hale, Peter Hale is a Good Person, Post-Hale Fire (Teen Wolf), Sassy Derek Hale, Stiles Stilinski Loves Derek Hale, Stiles Stilinski is a Little Shit, Stiles Stilinski is a Nice Thing, The Hale Fire (Teen Wolf)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:07:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23661301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wasterella/pseuds/isthatbloodonhisshirt
Summary: “The hospitality here is overwhelming, do try to contain yourselves,” Peter said dryly, sitting up properly and turning more fully towards the two of them. “When did this happen?” He motioned vaguely between them.“Sometime between when you left and today,” Derek replied dryly and Stiles wasso proud. God, he loved sassy Derek. Loved it more when sassy Derek was sassingPeter! Because, really, whodidn’twant to sass Peter? He was so sassable.“Hm.” Peter’s lips quirked slightly. “You’re welcome.”Stiles sputtered. “Excuse me? We’rewelcome? Pretty sure you had exactly zero to do with us getting together.”
Relationships: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski
Series: Spreading Positivity 2020 [29]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1667605
Comments: 18
Kudos: 905





	I thought you were dead

It had been a long, _terrible_ day at work today, and all Stiles really wanted to do right now was go home, fall onto the couch with his head on his boyfriend’s lap, maybe get a few head scratches, and just exist. With his boyfriend. Probably watching bad TV, but whatever. Just... a relaxing evening on the couch with Derek, who was _way_ too doting.

Seriously, Stiles didn’t deserve him, Derek was an amazing boyfriend. Stole his pain when he hurt himself—which was frequent, he was clumsy—and made him breakfast, lunch _and_ dinner every day, and gave him massages sometimes when Stiles was being whiny. The cuddling was next level though. God, Derek cuddled so good. He was so warm and comfy and he always gave Stiles nice head scratches and it was just... so nice. 

Stiles really, _really_ didn’t deserve him. He loved Derek so much, he was the best, honestly. 

This probably explained his dismay when he rolled up to the loft and saw an unfamiliar car parked beside the Camaro. In _his_ spot, no less! So now, not only did Stiles have to park _not_ in his spot, he couldn’t even go upstairs to collapse on the couch for some head scratches! 

“Ugh,” Stiles groaned, letting his forehead fall against the steeling wheel and closing his eyes. That was fine. It was okay. He was sure whoever it was wouldn’t be lingering long. He was confused about who it could be, though. 

It wasn’t one of the Beta’s cars, unless one of them had recently bought a new one. Maybe someone from New York in a rental? Derek had many, _many_ friends, as Stiles had discovered when they visited New York a few years back. He’d actually lost track of most of their names, and everyone wanted to talk to him because he was Derek’s boyfriend. It had been fun, but disorienting. 

Stiles wished they’d visit Derek more, he knew he’d appreciate that as opposed to _Derek_ always being the one to visit _them_. 

Well, unless this was one of them, in which case, he stood corrected. But he didn’t know that yet. For all he knew, it was a realtor coming to bully Derek into selling so some big company could buy the land and build a high-rise or something. 

Gross, a high-rise in Beacon Hills? No thank you. They did _not_ need more people in this place, what with all the monsters, thank you. Stiles had enough people to protect, he didn’t want to be adding more, nevermind that some of the tenants could _be_ monsters. 

No, he wouldn’t let Derek sell! Not that he thought Derek _would_ sell, _but still_! 

Sighing while climbing out of the Jeep, he slammed the door before moving towards the entrance to their home, heading up the stairs and trying not to be disappointed Derek had a visitor. It was _good_ he had a visitor! Stiles was just selfish, apparently. Wanted to hog Derek all to himself. 

Sliding open the loft door, he didn’t bother calling out since the door announced his arrival anyway. Besides, Derek had known it was him from down the road, and whoever was with him didn’t care. He kicked off his shoes in the entrance, heading around the corner to the living room, and froze at who he found lounging on _his_ couch like he owned the damn place. 

“Hello Stiles.” 

Really? _Really_? Ugh, could his day _get_ any worse right now? 

Probably, he shouldn’t tempt fate. 

“I thought you were dead,” he said in reply to the greeting. 

Peter tilted his head to send him a disappointed look, as if he was at all surprised Stiles assumed he’d died in a ditch somewhere. It wasn’t like he’d expected Peter to _stay dead_ if he did. The guy was like a cockroach. Or a Nokia phone. 

No, a cockroach was more accurate. Had the word ‘cock’ in it and everything, which is what Peter was. A huge _dick_. 

“Hi,” Derek said, coming up silently behind Stiles, making him jump. 

He turned to look at his boyfriend, who seemed about as happy as Stiles felt. Well, at least he didn’t have to worry about good old uncle Peter spending the night, since Derek looked like he wanted Peter gone _yesterday_. 

“The hospitality here is overwhelming, do try to contain yourselves,” Peter said dryly, sitting up properly and turning more fully towards the two of them. “When did this happen?” He motioned vaguely between them. 

“Sometime between when you left and today,” Derek replied dryly and Stiles was _so proud_. God, he loved sassy Derek. Loved it more when sassy Derek was sassing _Peter_! Because, really, who _didn’t_ want to sass Peter? He was so sassable. 

“Hm.” Peter’s lips quirked slightly. “You’re welcome.” 

Stiles sputtered. “Excuse me? We’re _welcome_? Pretty sure you had exactly zero to do with us getting together.” 

“Is that right?” Peter looked amused now. “So you and Derek would’ve just—stumbled into each other in the soup aisle and gotten to talking?” 

Stiles opened his mouth. Closed it. He knew what he _wanted_ to say in response to that—mostly something colourful with an overabundance of swear words—but he found he couldn’t get the words out. 

Because loathe as he was to admit it... 

Peter was...

He was...

Oh God, the pain, it hurt his _soul_! 

But Peter was...

Right. 

He was right. 

If he hadn’t started moving around causing trouble, Laura wouldn’t have come back, and Derek wouldn’t have followed. If Peter hadn’t killed Laura, Stiles and Scott wouldn’t have ended up in the woods. If they hadn’t ended up in the woods, Scott wouldn’t have lost his inhaler nor would he have been bitten. If he hadn’t lost his inhaler, they wouldn’t have gone back the next day to find it. 

And if he hadn’t been bitten and become a Werewolf, Derek wouldn’t have given either of them the time of day. He’d have been too busy looking for the Werewolf who’d killed his sister while running from the Hunters gunning for his life. And if they’d never met, it was entirely likely that Derek would’ve died. 

Not because Stiles saved his life all the time—even though he did, literally, _all_ the time—but because he wouldn’t have had any allies. It would’ve been just him, alone. Especially when he was still a Beta, he probably wouldn’t have won a fair fight against Peter. Not when his uncle was Alpha. 

As much as Stiles _hated_ admitting it with every fibre of his being, if Peter hadn’t started the entire series of events, it was honestly entirely likely he and Derek never even would’ve met. 

He could tell based on the sour look on Derek’s face that he was thinking the same thing. Well that was depressing, thinking about their relationship being because Peter had gone crazy for a few years. 

“I’m still not saying thank you,” Stiles informed him, pointing a finger at him. “What are you even doing here? Don’t you have an apartment you’re so proud of?” 

“I can’t visit my favourite nephew?”

“You’re his _favourite_?” Stiles asked Derek with mock incredulity. “Damn, I’d hate to see what he does to his _non_ -favourite nephews!” 

Peter gave him an annoyed look, but didn’t comment. He instead focussed his attention on Derek. “I visited the Greer pack on my way back home. Spent a lot of time with them catching up and discussing how you’ve been handling your role of Alpha. I’m even going to be able to tell them you have a mate when I see them next.” 

Stiles crinkled his nose at that. He didn’t want people knowing his business. “Who’s the Greer pack?” he asked Derek instead of commenting on that, since Peter would just go out of his way to buy a fucking billboard or something. 

“Pack we used to visit in Tucson when I was younger,” he explained, arms crossed over his chest. “Mom used to be close friends with one of the Betas there, but we kind of lost touch after she passed.” 

“Well, I rekindled the flame of friendship,” Peter said jovially. 

“How, did you set one of them on fire?” Stiles asked curiously, honestly unable to imagine Peter forming allies with anyone. 

“I forgot how annoying you are.” 

“You’re lucky,” Derek muttered, but he was smirking slightly when Stiles turned to punch him in the arm. 

“Cute as this domesticity is, I only came to tell you I’ve reformed our alliance. Again, you’re welcome.” Peter stood up, reaching into his back pocket. “And also to bring you this.” 

Stiles frowned when Peter pulled out a ziploc bag of what looked like photos. Derek looked a little apprehensive, but obediently uncrossed his arms and moved forward, reaching out to take the pictures and turning the baggie around to see the top one. 

He went perfectly still, and Stiles moved up behind him, resting his chin on Derek’s shoulder to look over it. He didn’t really recognize the woman in the photo, but he’d know the little boy she was baking with anywhere.

It was Derek. The woman was probably his mother. 

“They had a number of photos of the family,” Peter said, voice relatively soft, considering who he was. “I’ve had duplicates made of the ones I wanted to keep. I thought perhaps you and Cora might like your own set, as well. I’ve already sent hers off to her.” 

Derek looked like he didn’t know what to say. For all their history, and as much of an asshole as Peter was, Stiles sometimes saw the man who existed before the fire. The one who honestly truly did care for Derek, and just wanted him to be happy. 

It was rare, and fleeting, but it was there sometimes.

“Thank you,” Derek said softly. 

“Well, I’ve got some laundry to get done,” Peter said instead of acknowledging the words. “I’ll see myself out. Stiles.” He turned his gaze to him and smiled almost viciously. “Always a pleasure.” 

“Always a surprise finding you not dead,” Stiles replied. 

Peter’s smirk was a little less cold then, and he nodded once in parting before heading for the loft door. It slid open, and then shut a moment later. Stiles listened to him descend the stairs, but didn’t move until he knew he was gone. Since he didn’t have Werewolf hearing, he had to estimate, but three minutes seemed like long enough. 

“Why don’t we order some pizza?” Stiles asked softly, still pressed against Derek’s back and shifting his arms to hug him around the middle with his chin remaining on his shoulder. “We can sit down and spread the pictures out on the coffee table. You can tell me about them.” 

Derek was silent for a moment, then said, “I’d really like that.” 

“Get them spread out.” Stiles kissed his cheek. “I’ll order the pizza.” 

He pulled away so Derek could get started, and smiled slightly when he caught sight of his expression. It was so soft and open, and Stiles could tell how appreciative he was to have something from his past. Everything he’d ever owned had burned in the fire, barring the books in the vault. But the books were more of a legacy, not _memories_. 

These pictures were so much more than Derek had ever had since the fire, and Stiles kind of wanted to hug Peter for putting that expression on Derek’s face. 

Even if he never, _ever_ would. 

Peter was a creepy motherfucker. But at least sometimes, _sometimes_ —very rarely—he could be a good uncle. 

Stiles smiled and pulled his phone out to order the pizza. 

**END.**

**Author's Note:**

> Teen Wolf (c) Jeff Davis
> 
> Come chill with me on [Tumblr](https://isthatbloodonhisshirt.tumblr.com/).


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